Navigating Challenges: The Struggle of Being an Artist

Spaini Barman

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala known as 'Rupkonwor' of Assam and its culture. The famous personality started writing at the age of 14. During his student days, he wrote many short stories. He is very well known for his famous play 'SonitKonwori'. He is considered to be the sunshine of Assamese Poetry World.

Rupkonwar's creation evoke magical effects in the field of Assamese literature and culture. He was a man of versatility - play writer, storyteller, novelist, poet, lyricist, composer, filmmaker, and child writer and has very rich National thoughts and ideas. He strived to convey messages through his song in a very simple language. He tried his level best to cover Assamese Culture over the whole World. Well, every year his death anniversary is celebrated as silpi divas on 17th January. There are also Silpi Award and silpi pension that is handed over to some eminent artists on the occasion of Silpi divas.

Through the process of creating art, Artists gain insight into their own thoughts and feelings, and find ways to cope with the challenges of life. They have always opted these Art as their profession and none other. In the era when Artists always go for fame, there are also several Artists without a famous name who face severe difficulties for their livelihood. These artists are driven by a passion for their work, and are content to let their art speak for itself. They may not seek out fame or recognition, but they are deeply committed to create meaningful and impactful work. Some of them somewhere runs a music school or teaches few students and that remains as their only way of livelihood. Regardless of where they are working, they are all united in their dedication to their art and their passion.

These Artists are really deserves to be designated so as Art becomes their only priority. Thus, it is high time we need to think about these Artists. There are numerous Artists across us who finds it very difficult to even manage two square meals a day. I wish there should be research done till ground level and Artists should get financial help from the Government.

The Covid and post covid period has really been challenging for these Artists, it has been very difficult for them to stabilize life once again, many artists are still struggling to navigate the aftermath and find ways to continue their work in a changed world. This has also resulted in a significant loss of income for many artists, making it difficult for them to continue their work and support themselves financially.  

The life of these Artists seems very easy and simple but these challenges they face remain unnoticed. Financial insecurities even make a human self-doubt. The normal people wouldn't even like to imagine the struggles that the artists face.

Well! Every work does and have struggle phase, many of the artists face the worst situation but then still fight harder to his last breath. Sometimes the appreciation of words for his work won't help. For all the needs, money is really very important. So, it is high time to encourage the talents and lend a helping hand to the Artists. Government must be supportive in this matter as the real artist are the assets of our society. In the United States, for example, the CARES Act provided $15 billion in funding for the arts and cultural industries, including $75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. This money has been used to provide emergency relief grants to individual artists and organizations. In addition to financial assistance and training programs, governments have been working to ensure that artists have access to affordable housing and healthcare. This can include programs that provide rent subsidies or affordable housing developments specifically for artists, as well as health insurance programs.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that the step of pension has really helped the artists but there are several hidden talents who needs funds so that they can flourish in their life. It is clear that governments have an important role to play in supporting the arts and helping artists thrive. Whether through financial assistance, training programs, or other forms of support, government help for artists is crucial for the preservation of culture.

(The story has not been edited by Pratidin Time and has been published as it is.)